Bottled drink dispenser



Filed July 24, 1961 March 17, 1964 c. L. BARNHART 3,125,246

BOTTLED DRINK DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR" V. ATTORNEY CARL TON BARNHART March 17, 1964 c. L. BARNHART 3,125,246

BOTTLED DRINK DISPENSER Filed July 24, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 3 44 /44 44/3 46 46 45 45 --l I I F 3 1 53 53 CARLTON L. BARNHART FIG. 8. INVENTOR A TTORNE Y United States Patent 3,125,246 BOTTLED DRINK DISPENSER Carlton L. Barnhart, 2928 W. Lancaster, Fort Worth, Tex. Filed July 24, 1961, Ser. No. 126,005 2 Claims. (31. 221-116) This invention relates to coin operated bottled drink dispensers and has reference to dispensers using rotary cams to release the bottles.

It is a problem in bottled drink dispensers to provide storage space for as many bottles as possible in' a given cabinet size, and this invention is directed to a new and novel arrangement of cams whereby they can be placed closer together to allow for more dispensing units per cabinet. In order to save space in the cabinet, the releasing cams are paired as to rotation and are so placed that the smaller radii of each pair of cams are opposed when at rest, yet providing a space large enough alongside either one of the pair for the passage of the bottle being delivered by the rotation of the other cam facing it.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a swinging divider between the cams to eliminate the possibility of a bottle turning crosswise of the delivery mechanism and jamming the machine.

These and other objects of the invention are described in detail hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a cabinet designed to enclose the herein described mechanism.

FIGURE 2 is a partial elevational view of the interior arrangement of the cabinet.

FIGURE 3 is a partial detailed elevational view of one pair of cams.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a single cam in its at rest position.

FIGURE 5 is a partial cross sectional view of the cam mechanism.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmented elevational view of a cam motor and a limit switch.

FIGURE 7 is a wiring diagram of a three unit dispenser.

FIGURE 8 is a diagram of a special relay used in the dispenser circuit.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1, a typical cabinet 10 for enclosing the invention, having sides 11, top 12, and bottom 13, is supplied with a hinged front panel 14 and a rear panel 15 (FIGURUE 5) which is preferably removable. Mounted in the front panel 14 are a coin slot 16 of conventional design and its connected electrical switching and rejecting mechanism (not shown), a coin return receptacle 17, a bottle opener 18, a lock 19, a selector knob 20 with pointer 21 and spaces 22 for inserting labels naming the varieties of drinks contained in the cabinet. A panel 23 with openings 24, through which the bottles may be withdrawn after delivery by the coin operated mechanism, is located opposite the dispensing mechanism shown in FIGURES 2 to 6, inclusive. The lower portion 25 of the cabinet 10 is utilized for refrigeration machinery (not shown) while the upper portion 26 contains the stock of bottles to be sold.

The bottles 27 are stacked between vertical separators 28 forming compartments 29, each of which is approximately one and a half the diameter of a bottle in width. A front wall 30 and a back wall 31 serve as structure to hold the compartments together and as guides to align the bottles fore and aft. At the bottom of the compartments 29 sloping extensions 32 of the separators 28 narrow the compartments to an opening 33 slightly more than the diameter of a bottle in width so that the bottom bottle 27a in each stack is fed onto the cam 36 from the ice center of the compartment. Just below each opening 33 is located a rotating cam assembly 34- consisting of a shaft 35 and two or more earns 36 rigidly attached thereto as a unit, each cam consisting of a spirally outlined plate having on one side a concave portion 36a of a radius not less than the radius of the bottles 27 and extending inwardly almost to the shaft 35. These cams are fixed in a parallel relationship at right angles to the shaft 35 so that the concave portions relate to form a trough in which a bottle 27 can rest parallel to the shaft 35.

Each shaft 35 extends rearwardly into its own motor and reduction gear driving unit 37 mounted on a transverse frame 38, and extends forwardly into a bearing 39 set in the front wall 30. The cam assemblies 34 are disposed in counter-rotating pairs but their shafts are all equally distant so that all the compartments 29 are of equal size and each cam assembly is centered under one of the compartments.

When at rest, the troughs or concavities 36a of the cams 36 face upward with the largest diameter portions of the spiral perimeter 36b extending outward away from each other in each pair of cam assemblies. A freely swinging divider 46 of sheet material depends from a shaft 41 halfway between the opposing cam assemblies, the shaft 41 being supported at its ends by front and back walls 30 and 31 respectively, and located approxi mately even with the bottoms of the compartments 29. As will be seen, the divider 40 prevents the bottles 27 from getting out of line and jamming while being delivered by the rotation of one of the cams.

Beneath each pair of cam asemblies 34 is a receptacle 42 rounded at the bottom to receive a bottle, open at the front and having a sloping rear wall 43 which shoves the bottle forward as it falls into the receptacle, causing it to come to rest with its top extending through the opening 24 ready to be picked up as shown in FIGURES 1 and 5. A trip arm 44 is fixed to the shaft 35 close to the motor 37 which is adjusted to engage the trigger 45 of a limit switch 46 when the cam 36 returns to its at rest position as shown in FIGURE 6.

An electrical circuit by which this dispenser can be operated is diagrammed in FIGURE 7. From a power source 47 one line 48 runs directly to one side of the motors 37. A branch 49 of this line runs through a standard coin operated switch 16a of the impulse type to a relay 5t) and back to the opposite lead 51 of the power source 47. The lead 51 continues towards the other side of the motors 37 through a selector switch 52, the position of which is determined by the knob 20 and the pointer 21. Branch leads 53 are continuations of the lead 51 through special relays 54 to motors 37. Branch leads 53a are an alternate circuit to motors 37 through relays 54 and limit switches 46 which are normally open.

FIGURE 8 is a detail of special relay 54 in which lead 53 runs through a normally open magnetic switch 55 which closes when lead 53 is energized by the closing of switch 50 when a coin passes through the switch 16a. Closing this circuit starts the selected motor 37 which turns the cam shaft 35 and allows the trip arm 44 to release the trigger 45 and close the limit switch 46. This energizes the branch lead 53a which simultaneously closes a switch 56, and breaks shunt circuit 53b in the relay causing switch 55 to open.

The relay 50 is operated by an impulse from switch 16a as a coin drops, and is held closed by the current which flows through line 51 while operating any motor 37, first by way of lead 53 and then by way of lead 53a after the limit switch 46 has closed. When the shaft 35 has completed one revolution and the limit switch 46 has been forced open by the trip arm 44 the entire system is turned off until another coin is run through the switch 16a.

concavities 36a to drop into the receptacle 42. The bottle 27a takes a path shown in FIGURE 3 past the small radius portion of theopposing cam, shoving aside'the divider 40 which prevents the bottle from rolling over against the bottle resting in the opposite trough and pos sibly getting out of line and jamming the mechanism.

At the end of the revolution of the cam 36 the trip arm 44 opens the limit switch 46 making it impossible for another bottle to be delivered until theelectrical system is again energized by inserting another coin.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary construction herein shown and described, but may be made in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A bottled drink dispenser of the rotating cam type comprising at least one pair of vertical bottle receiving compartments in side by side relation, each'compartment having an outlet at the bottom thereof wide enoughrto pass one bottle at a time, a cam assembly beneath the outlet of each said compartment, each said cam assembly comprising a shaft parallel with the length of the bottle thcreabove to be dispensed, generally circular cams eccentrically mounted on said shafts, said cams being oppositely arranged on said shafts, their configurations having concavities in their outlines at points thereof nearest said shafts, said concavities having radii not less than the radius of the bottles to be dispensed, means positioning said concavities at the top of said cams when said bottle dispenser is not in operation, means selectively rotating one of said shafts at a time in a direction to dispense a bottle between said cams, and a swinging divider between said cams, and parallel with said shafts, said divider having its axis of swing and its length such that the divider is contacted by a bottle being dispensed from one outlet by a rotating cam, and is swung out of the path of the said dispensed bottle and into a position adjacent to and blocking the other outlet.

2.- A bottle dispenser of the rotating cam type as defined in claim 1, and including a trough-like receiving receptacle beneath and between said cams, said receptacle having an open forward end and a forwardly sloping rear wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,073,698 Kalbitzer Mar. 16, 1937 2,416,728 Albrecht 'Mar. 4, 1947 2,569,988 Grau Oct. 2, 1951 2,785,828 Patzer Mar. 19, 1957 

1. A BOTTLED DRINK DISPENSER OF THE ROTATING CAM TYPE COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF VERTICAL BOTTLE RECEIVING COMPARTMENTS IN SIDE BY SIDE RELATION, EACH COMPARTMENT HAVING AN OUTLET AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF WIDE ENOUGH TO PASS ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME, A CAM ASSEMBLY BENEATH THE OUTLET OF EACH SAID COMPARTMENT, EACH SAID CAM ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A SHAFT PARALLEL WITH THE LENGTH OF THE BOTTLE THEREABOVE TO BE DISPENSED, GENERALLY CIRCULAR CAMS ECCENTRICALLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFTS, SAID CAMS BEING OPPOSITELY ARRANGED ON SAID SHAFTS, THEIR CONFIGURATIONS HAVING CONCAVITIES IN THEIR OUTLINES AT POINTS THEREOF NEAREST SAID SHAFTS, SAID CONCAVITIES HAVING RADII NOT LESS THAN THE RADIUS OF THE BOTTLES TO BE DISPENSED, MEANS POSITIONING SAID CONCAVITIES AT THE TOP OF SAID CAMS WHEN SAID BOTTLE DISPENSER IS NOT IN OPERATION, MEANS SELECTIVELY ROTATING ONE OF SAID SHAFTS AT A TIME IN A DIRECTION TO DISPENSE A 